Mattel won the big battles in the Barbie vs. Bratz trial, but it may have lost the financial war. A jury in federal court Tuesday awarded Mattel Inc. as much as $100 million in a copyright infringement case against MGA Entertainment Inc., which brought out the hugely popular Bratz dolls in 2001. But that's about 5.5% of the $1.8 billion that Mattel asked of the jury. "MGA wins on this one, big time," said Margaret Whitfield, an analyst with Sterne Agee & Leach. "That amount maybe just covers Mattel's legal expenses, with a little left over."

After nearly three months of courtroom testimony, the bitter dispute between toy giant Mattel Inc. and rival MGA Entertainment Inc. over ownership of the sassy Bratz doll line was sent to a jury for deliberations. A verdict could come as soon as next week. The jury heard final arguments in the copyright infringement case in federal court in Santa Ana on Friday in front of a packed courtroom that included the chief executives of both companies. A major point of contention centers on when and where Bratz creator and former Barbie designer Carter Bryant came up with the idea for the wildly popular multi-ethnic dolls known for their oversized heads, pouty lips and risque clothing.

Liliya Shlyakman stood in the doll department at a Los Angeles Toys R Us store just before the holidays, oblivious to everything except a wall of big-eyed dolls in tight clothes. Mattel Inc.'s Barbie didn't get a passing glance from the 10-year-old girl. She dismissed the company's new hip-hop-themed Flavas dolls with a crinkled nose.

The bitter battle over ownership of the Bratz dolls has grown more acrimonious, with toy giant Mattel Inc. seeking a mistrial following scathing remarks made on the stand by the chief executive of rival MGA Entertainment Inc. In his testimony this week, Isaac Larian, the colorful and outspoken head of MGA, contended that the stress from the years-long dispute with Mattel killed his father, destroyed his family and caused Bratz creator Carter Bryant...

MGA Entertainment Inc., the maker of Bratz dolls and other toys, may sell shares in an initial public offering, Chief Executive Isaac Larian said Thursday. But plans to go public are still far off, with Larian saying in an e-mail from Italy that it would happen "eventually." "It will be a few years before we can rebuild our company," he said. Van Nuys-based MGA makes toys, games, consumer electronics, home decor, stationery and sporting goods. Its toys include Little Tikes, Moxie Girlz and Rescue Pets, but the company is best known for its sexily dressed Bratz dolls, which are at the center of a bitter copyright dispute between MGA and toy giant Mattel Inc. Gerrick Johnson, a toy analyst at BMO Capital Markets, said he thought a public offering would be well-received by the investment community and would help MGA gain access to capital as it looks to expand its product lines.

The temporary receiver put in place to oversee MGA Entertainment Inc. has been removed by the federal judge who put him there last month, making company founder Isaac Larian again the sole head of the toy-making outfit. But it's a diminished kingdom. The order issued late Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Larson did not alter the fact that Van Nuys-based MGA has to give up by far its most prominent product line -- the Bratz dolls it introduced in 2001.

Once upon a time, there was a studio in Burbank that spun classic fairy tales into silver-screen gold. But now the curtain is falling on "princess movies," which have been a part of Disney Animation's heritage since the 1937 debut of its first feature film, "Snow White. " The studio's Wednesday release of "Tangled," a contemporary retelling of the Rapunzel story, will be the last fairy tale produced by Disney's animation group for the foreseeable future. "Films and genres do run a course," said Pixar Animation Studios chief Ed Catmull, who along with director John Lasseter oversees Disney Animation.

A Chinese manufacturer of Bratz Stylin' Scooters is recalling about 297,000 scooters because the wheels can break or become damaged, which can lead users to fall or suffer injuries, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said. The distributor, MGA Entertainment Inc. of Van Nuys, has received six reports of cracked wheels. All the incidents resulted in cuts, scrapes and bruises. In one case, a child suffered a broken arm. The recall includes scooters manufactured by Jurong Dumar Bicycle Inc.

MGA Entertainment, the maker of Bratz fashion dolls, may sell shares to the public as early as this year, Chief Executive Isaac Larian said Friday. The Van Nuys company is in talks with investment banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley, Larian said. MGA is challenging Mattel Inc.'s Barbie with the popularity of the Bratz line of dolls. An initial public offering would help the toy maker expand the Bratz line, which was introduced in 2001.

When a toy designer's young daughter becomes fascinated by the gel-like beads in a flower vase, there is only one conclusion to draw: "There has got to be a toy in here somewhere," says Ron Brawer, a partner in the Maya Group and a toy industry veteran. The fast-growing Torrance company has gone on to develop dozens of playthings based on those transparent polymer pellets. One of those toys, a modified water gun called the Xploderz XBlaster 200, was a finalist for the 2012 Outdoor Toy of the Year Award from the Toy Industry Assn.